5 leopard cubs charred to death in Pune

Five leopard cubs were charred to death in a sugarcane farm in Awasari village of Junnar tehsil in Pune on Wednesday. Workers claimed that they were unaware of the cubs and it was the owner who had told to burn the trash which had accumulated on the field.

Pune (Maharashtra): As many as five leopard cubs were 'accidentally' charred to death in a sugarcane farm situated in Junnar tehsil of Pune on Wednesday morning.

According to sources, the cubs were reportedly burnt alive with the farm trash in Awasari village. The workers in the sugarcane farm claimed that they were not aware of the presence of the cubs and had set fire to the trash in the field.

"We had come here to harvest the crop and the owner directed us to burn the trash accumulated on the field. We did not know that the cubs were there. A woman had spotted them and told us about it," a worker said.

Earlier in March, two leopard cubs were rescued from the sugarcane fields in the same area, when the farmers of Vadgaon Anand village stumbled upon a lone leopard cub while harvesting the crops.